All signs suggest the Golden State Warriors and Steve Kerr are nearing a divorce.
It’s not set in stone yet, as Kerr has yet to meet with the Warriors braintrust, which is expected to happen later this week, per ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel.
But if he indeed chooses not to sign a new contract, Golden State will be in the head coach market for the first time in 12 years.
Andre Iguodala
Over the last few days, there have been several candidates mentioned as possible replacements. We go over a few of them here, ranking them from realistic to crazy.
1. Sean Sweeney (Spurs Assistant) – The Realistic Front-Runner
Among the first-time head coach candidates, Sean Sweeney is perhaps the hottest name.
“He’s the top available (first-time NBA head coach) by a wide margin,” one Eastern Conference scout told Eric Nehm and Fred Katz of The Athletic.
The 41-year-old has worked closely with Mitch Johnson to make the Spurs one of the surprise teams of the 2025-26 season. He’s had NBA assistant coaching jobs since 2013.
You might be asking, would team governor Joe Lacob hire a first-time head coach? Well, he did exactly that when he hired Kerr. In fact, I’d lean toward that being more likely than a retread.
That would make Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori or Heat assistant Chris Quinn possibilities as well, but the fact that Sweeney is younger and coming off a more impressive season suggests he’d be the most likely candidate of the three.
Sweeney has a reputation as a defensive mastermind. The Spurs ranked in the top 10 in defensive rating this season, and much of that credit goes to Sweeney’s schemes. For a Warriors team that has struggled on that end of the floor, Sweeney could be the perfect fit.
2. Jerry Stackhouse (Warriors Assistant) – The Internal Option
Stackhouse and Terry Stotts are the two current assistants with a chance to get the job. Between the two, I’m leaning toward Stackhouse having a better chance.
Stotts is the closest thing to Kerr in that he’s older (68) and had his heyday years ago. I suspect Lacob wants to hire someone who will be splashy and change the status quo.
Stackhouse doesn’t seem like the kind of splashy hire that Lacob might want either, but he’s more splashy than Stotts. The 51-year-old has essentially been Golden State’s defensive coordinator over the last two seasons, and when the Warriors had healthier personnel in 2024-25, the defense shined, ranking seventh in rating.
Stackhouse has head coaching experience at the college level (Vanderbilt) and in the G League, where he was named Coach of the Year in 2017. He is respected by players and has the kind of defensive pedigree that could help the Warriors return to their identity.
3. Mike Brown (Knicks Head Coach) – The Familiar Face
Brown is in his first season as Knicks head coach. He’s probably not going anywhere this offseason.
If he were to somehow get fired, he would be a more likely candidate than Stackhouse.
I’m leaving him lower on this list because I’m guessing that won’t happen.
Anyway, Brown was a Golden State assistant coach for three of the team’s four Curry-era titles. He was Kerr’s right-hand man for the surprise 2022 championship.
The 56-year-old has an impressive resume, including a 51-41 playoff record. He knows the organization, knows the players, and knows what it takes to win. If the Knicks part ways with him — which is unlikely — he would be the top target.
4. Todd Golden (Florida Head Coach) – The College Star
Golden’s run at Florida has been impressive. He won a national championship in his third season, and he followed that up by leading his team to another No. 1 seed.
Eventually, Stephen Curry will retire, and having a younger head coach (Golden is 40) connecting with a younger roster might be ideal.
With that said, Golden truly doesn’t seem likely to leave Florida. He’s already shot down the possibility, though coaches have been known to lie when asked about their coaching futures.
He also has no NBA coaching experience. This isn’t a deal-breaker, but there are several high-profile college coaches who didn’t succeed in the NBA, such as Rick Pitino and John Calipari.
Golden was accused of sexual harassment at Florida. The university found no evidence that he violated Title IX. That’s something the Warriors would have to look into.
For a franchise that has prided itself on culture and character, that investigation would need to be thorough.
5. Andre Iguodala – The “Outside-the-Envelope” Candidate
Tim Kawakami of the San Francisco Standard called Iguodala his “outside-the-envelope candidate.” It’s a fascinating hypothetical.
Iguodala has no prior coaching experience, but he was practically a player-coach for his last couple of seasons with the Warriors. You can’t go too far into Warriors social media discussions without somebody using the GIF of Iguodala coaching Andrew Wiggins in the 2022 NBA Finals.
Nobody is denying that it would be borderline irresponsible to throw a coach with no experience at all into this fire.
But if I were to try to spin it, I’d say no candidate would be more respected by Curry. Iguodala also seems like a good candidate to build a culture. He witnessed firsthand what the culture was like with Kerr, which helps. But on top of that, he seems pretty calm and level-headed, which can go a long way over an 82-plus-game grind.
Iguodala is currently a part-owner of the G League’s Santa Cruz Warriors. He has no coaching experience at any level. Hiring him would be a massive gamble.
But it would also be a bold, outside-the-box move. And Lacob has never been afraid of those.
The Verdict: A Wide-Open Race
The Warriors are facing the most uncertain offseason of the post-dynasty era. Kerr’s decision is the first domino.
If he leaves, the coaching search will be intense. There are experienced candidates, young up-and-comers, and even a former Finals MVP in the mix.
The Warriors need to get this right. Curry has only a few years left. The window is closing.
Whoever takes over will have big shoes to fill. Four championships. A winning culture. The respect of the locker room.
The list of candidates is long. But the decision is simple: find someone who can win now.
The Warriors are not rebuilding. They are reloading. And their next head coach will be expected to lead them back to contention.
The search is about to begin. And the basketball world will be watching.